From the Sector

Stahl announces that its near-term greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Stahl is one of the few coatings companies to receive this validation. To date, 145 companies in the chemicals sector have submitted an emissions reduction target to the SBTi, of which 61 have had their targets validated.

Stahl’s science-based targets, which reflect the company’s commitment to the 2015 Paris Agreement goals, are:  

• Stahl Holdings B.V. commits to reduce absolute scope 1 & 2 GHG emissions 42.0% by CY2030 from a CY2021 base year.*
• Stahl Holdings B.V. commits to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions 25.0% by CY2030 from a CY2021 base year.

The SBTi classifies emissions reduction targets according to two potential temperature pathways: 1) limiting global temperature rises to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, and 2) limiting temperature rises to well below 2°C. The SBTi has determined that Stahl’s Scope 1 and 2 target is in line with a 1.5°C trajectory, while Stahl’s Scope 3 target has been validated in line with the well-below 2°C pathway.

Maarten Heijbroek, CEO of Stahl: “The validation of our Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions reduction targets by the SBTi is an important milestone on our ESG journey as we strive to limit our contribution to global warming, in line with the Paris Agreement. Our targets are ambitious, and rightly so. Realizing our goal to help create a more responsible coatings value chain starts with being accountable for our own environmental impact, and taking concrete steps to reduce our emissions wherever possible.”

A clear strategy to reduce GHG emissions
Stahl’s approach to realizing its near-term emissions reduction targets is outlined in the company’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Roadmap to 2030. This strategy defines the specific metrics against which progress on the company’s ESG commitments will be measured.

Stahl’s Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions reduction targets, as submitted to the SBTi, cover emissions from all manufacturing sites where Stahl products are produced, as well as the company’s largest non-manufacturing locations. Stahl aims to lower these emissions by reducing its overall energy consumption and increasing the use of renewable energy at its sites. To achieve this, the company plans to increase its self-generated electricity capacity (using solar power, for example) and continue investing in more energy-efficient equipment.

Stahl plans to reduce its Scope 3 upstream emissions primarily by replacing fossil-based raw materials in its products with renewable alternatives, such as bio-based and recycled-based feedstocks. In addition, the company plans to introduce more low-impact raw materials into its product design.

* The target boundary includes biogenic land-related emissions and removals from bioenergy feedstocks.

Carbios published its first Sustainability Report using 2021 as the baseline year. The report outlines Carbios’ commitment to developing environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives that go beyond the industrial development of its innovative plastics biorecycling technologies. Although not subject to the regulatory requirement of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD), Carbios has nonetheless structured its report in accordance with the requirements of the European directive on Extra-Financial Performance Statements.

Carbios’ sustainability strategy is based on three pillars (governance and ethics, the environment, social and societal issues) divided into 22 priority material challenges. Carbios’ Sustainability Report reflects the company’s dedication to transparency in action and highlights its efforts in areas such as environmental sustainability; employee relations, diversity and inclusion; and corporate governance.

Within its 2021 Sustainability Report, Carbios has formalized several targets including:

ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES

• Use the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method to maximize circularity and aim for the lowest carbon impact
• Commit to depolymerizing 60 tons of PET in 2023 at the Demonstration Plant in Clermont-Ferrand: the equivalent of about 3.2 million plastic bottles or 4 million food trays

SOCIAL OBJECTIVES

• Contribute to local economic development in France: the world’s first industrial-scale enzymatic PET recycling plant in Longlaville will create 150 direct and indirect jobs
• In a context of strong growth, promote employee well-being and safety by developing training, and ensuring the management and prevention of psycho-social risks
• Strengthen commitment to supporting international research through academic partnerships and scientific publications

GOVERNANCE OBJECTIVES

• Achieve 40% female members of the Board of Directors by end 2023, and 40% on Executive Committee by end 2024
• Achieve 60% independent members of the Board of Directors by end 2024
• Structure CSR governance with the creation of a CSR committee and integrate sustainability objectives into Executive’s compensation starting fiscal year 2023

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL) has signed an ESG-Linked Revolving Credit Facility of €275 million with six syndicate banks, a further boost to the company’s long-standing commitment to sustainability-led corporate financing.

Tied to IVL’s ESG risk rating, the revolving credit facility’s pricing mechanism results in margin adjustments related to management score improvements across the Material ESG Issues as defined by independent sustainability and corporate governance research firms. The facility is available to IVL subsidiaries in Europe for two-years with the option to extend for one more year.

The facility is part of IVL’s corporate financing strategy across a range of instruments linked to the company’s ESG and sustainability commitments. In November 2021, the company issued a THB 10 billion triple-tranche Sustainability-Linked Bond (SLB), the largest SLB issued in Thailand. IVL is on track to achieve its 2025 ESG goals. More ambitious 2030 targets include a 30% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 combined greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity, 15% reduction in energy intensity, 25% use of renewable electricity, 20% reduction in water intensity, 90% diversion of waste from landfill, recycle 1.5 million tons in PET bale input annually.

Kornit Digital Ltd. unveiled its Impact Report for 2021 highlighting progress made against goals and further expanding its commitment to a long-term strategy designed to transform the world of fashion and textiles into one that is more sustainable. The comprehensive analysis details Kornit’s performance related to climate action, waste management, green chemistry, and diversity in the workplace, as well as other areas of the Company’s Environmental, Social, and corporate Governance (ESG) framework.

Key Accomplishments Against Baseline (2021)  
Kornit’s ongoing dedication to improving ESG practices within its own operations has resulted in Company-wide achievements in the areas of:

Climate Action and Waste Management*

• ~16% reduction in GHG emissions intensity from x 9.11-e to 7.68 MTCO2-e
• 39% reduction in hazardous waste intensity from 1.7 tons to 1.04 tons
• 57% reduction in non-hazardous waste intensity from 33 tons to 14 tons

Green Chemistry

• Complete elimination of Acute Toxic Amines (CLP category 1, 2, 3) CMR
• 20% reduction of VOC level in Robusto Inkset and 30% of VOC in Eco Ink/Green

DEI and Community Engagement

• An increase in women in management, from 30% to 35%
• Reporting 88% of employees feeling respected and free to be authentic at work - *Intensity measures are per $1 million of revenue.

Kornit Digital’s Impact Strategy
Propelled by an ambition to make a positive impact across all areas of its business and throughout the fashion and textile industries, Kornit further adjusted its Impact Strategy this year towards more expansive, longer-term goals and objectives. Kornit’s refined strategy reflects the Company's dual role as a change agent in the industry—both as a leader empowering the fashion industry to be more sustainable, and as an accountable participant responsible for embracing social and environmental change to make the world a better place.  
The holistic strategy accounts for both roles, across two fundamental pillars—"Enable the Change” and “Be the Change”—and incorporates both social and environmental KPIs designed to meet the Company’s goals and respond to stakeholders’ input, as well as industry and ecosystem needs

Kornit is officially unveiling the report during a press event at PRINTING United Expo 2022.

*Intensity measures are per $1 million of revenue.

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL), a global sustainable chemical company, announced its commitment to science-based targets by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to help drive its ambitious sustainability programs. The company will also participate in the SBTi Expert Advisory Group for the chemicals industry.

SBTi is a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, the World Resources Institute, and the World Wide Fund for Nature to help businesses set emissions reduction targets based on the most recent climate science. IVL has committed to science-based targets under its purpose of “Reimagining chemistry together to create a better world” which aims to reduce global warming in line with the 1.5°C Paris Climate Agreement.

Under its Vision 2030 ambition, Indorama Ventures aims to build on its global industry leadership in sustainability, including by reducing GHG intensity by 30% and increasing renewable electricity consumption to 25%. Green projects are helping the company to achieve its operational efficiency targets, increase its use of renewable energy (especially renewable electricity – both onsite generation and offsite procurement through power purchase agreements), implement new decarbonization technologies including carbon capture, introduce bio-feedstock to its petrochemical value chain, and expand its PET recycling capability.

To meet its targets, IVL recognizes the importance of collaboration between the public and private sectors to decarbonize its operations through a variety of strategies. The established targets help its customers and suppliers to achieve their own sustainability goals, particularly their science-based targets.

Yash Lohia, Chairman of ESG Council at Indorama Ventures, said, "We are pleased to make our sustainability commitment more practical and measurable through science-based targets. We are dedicated to finding new technologies that can transform our operations and products towards net-zero. The efforts are not only for our sustainable business but also to support our customers and suppliers to achieve their own sustainability goals."

• Bluesign announces partnership with SCTI

Bluesign has teamed up with Sustainable Chemistry for the Textile Industry (SCTI^TM) to develop a sustainable chemistry index that shall provide a standard communication guide for chemical suppliers, manufacturers, brands, and NGOs.

The first-of-its-kind index is intended to inspire change in the industry by making it easier for stakeholders to assess the sustainability of textile chemical products against the highest standards while safeguarding the intellectual property (IP) of participating chemical companies. IP protection is critical to ensuring ongoing investment in sustainable solutions.

Chemical products, such as dyes and textile auxiliaries, are often characterized with the attribute of “free of a certain substance”. Rather than prioritizing ingredients only, the bluesign^® SYSTEM already goes beyond this. The chemicals and the production site where they were created must meet certain criteria regarding environmental performance, occupational health and safety, and product stewardship performance to be bluesign^® APPROVED.

The sustainable chemistry index will be reserved for substances that offer transparency on a number of additional indicators including the chemical’s circularity viability, greenhouse gas emissions during production, and the source of the raw materials. The sustainable chemistry index will also require that the downstream use of the chemical is optimized, meaning, for example, that it promotes resource saving in textile finishing. Additionally, excellent corporate governance paired with well-defined environmental and social (ESG) goals will be a pre-condition.

SCTI^TM is an alliance of leading chemical companies that strives to empower the textile and leather industries to apply sustainable, state-of-the-art chemistry solutions that protect factory workers, local communities, consumers and the environment.

Bluesign will implement and manage the sustainable chemistry index as an independent authority with a holistic approach to helping companies throughout the textile supply chain improve their sustainability performance.

International technology group ANDRITZ will be presenting its innovative nonwovens production solutions for wipe applications at the international World of Wipes (WOW) 2022 conference in Chicago, USA, from June 27 to 29, 2022.

ANDRITZ’s “We Care” sustainability program combines all ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) initiatives, goals, and achievements under one roof. For many years now, ANDRITZ has been offering various nonwoven processes to produce best and cost-effective wipes, for example spunlace, Wetlace and Wetlace CP. ANDRITZ also accompanies nonwovens producers in the move towards sustainability with the aim of reducing or eliminating plastic components while maintaining the high quality of the desired product properties. This applies to all types of sustainable wipes, such as flushable, biodegradable, bio-sourced, carded-pulp or standard carded wipes. Indeed, hydroentanglement has the advantage of being able to bond any kind of fibers without the use of chemical binders or thermal fusion.

The latest development in this field is the ANDRITZ neXline wetlace CP line, which integrates the card-pulp (CP) process. This is a fully engineered production line combining the benefits of drylaid and wetlaid technologies to produce a new generation of biodegradable wipes.

ANDRITZ has become a member of the board of the Responsible Flushing Alliance (RFA) in the USA. The RFA is an independent, non-profit trade association committed to educating consumers in responsible and smart flushing habits to help reduce damage to the nation's sewage systems. ANDRITZ is deeply involved in this topic with its technologies for 100% dispersible and biodegradable wet wipes and is highly committed to being part of the RFA.

• Sustainable Apparel Forum (SAF) organized in Dhaka to Accelerate Apparel Sustainability in Post-Covid

Policy makers, industry leaders, brands’ representatives and fashion campaigners from home and abroad gathered in Dhaka yesterday to accelerate momentum of sustainability in Bangladesh apparel industry.

More than 50 speakers as well as 20 green growth exhibitors from over 20 countries participated in the 3rd edition of Sustainable Apparel Forum (SAF) organized by Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE) partnering with Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BGMEA).

Five plenary sessions on ‘Demystifying Climate Action’, ‘Purchasing Practice’, ‘ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) & Green Finance’, ‘Closing the Loop: Circular Economy in the Fashion Industry’, and ‘Due Diligence and Legislation’ held at the SAF along with an opening plenary and a closing plenary.  

• Dividend of EUR 4.35 per share approved
• Lenzing Supervisory Board reduced from ten to nine elected members
• Dipl.-Bw. Peter Edelmann steps down from the Supervisory Board at his request
• Cord Prinzhorn, MBA, elected Chairman of the Supervisory Board

The 78th Annual General Meeting of Lenzing AG on April 26, 2022, passed a resolution to pay a dividend of EUR 4.35 per share in accordance with the Managing Board’s profit distribution proposal, which had been approved by the Supervisory Board. As a consequence, the payment of the dividend amounts to a total of EUR 115,492,500. The payment will be made on May 03, 2022.

The Annual General Meeting formally discharged the members of the Managing Board and the Supervisory Board from liability for the 2021 financial year, and set in advance the remuneration for the members of the Supervisory Board for the 2022 financial year. In addition, a vote was hold concerning the principles for the remuneration of the members of the Managing Board and the Supervisory Board (remuneration policy). The remuneration policy of Lenzing AG for the performance-based remuneration of the Managing Board is linked not only to financial performance criteria but also to non-financial sustainability criteria (ESG), which further promote the sustainable business strategy.

Elections to the Supervisory Board
Dipl.-Bw. Peter Edelmann stepped down from the Supervisory Board upon his own request, at the end of the Annual General Meeting. Mr. Edelmann has served as a member of the Supervisory Board since 2018 and as its Chairman since 2019, as well as on all committees of Lenzing AG.

The Annual General Meeting passed a resolution to extend the Supervisory Board mandates of Mag. Patrick Prügger (until the AGM that passes related resolutions concerning the 2022 financial year) and of Dr. Astrid Skala-Kuhmann (until the AGM that passes related resolutions concerning the 2025 financial year).

The Supervisory Board of Lenzing AG now consists of nine members elected by the AGM: Mag. Helmut Bernkopf, Dr. Christian Bruch, Dr. Stefan Fida, Dr. Markus Fürst, Dr. Franz Gasselsberger, Melody Harris-Jensbach, Cord Prinzhorn, MBA, Mag. Patrick Prügger and Dr. Astrid Skala-Kuhmann. Herbert Brauneis, Ing. Daniela Födinger, Helmut Kirchmair, Georg Liftinger und Johann Schernberger were appointed to the Supervisory Board by the Works Council.

At the constitutive Supervisory Board meeting following the AGM, Cord Prinzhorn, MBA, who had returned to the Supervisory Board after serving as CEO on an interim basis, was elected Chairman, and Dr. Stefan Fida was elected Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board.

• Hypetex® to Showcase Coloured Carbon and Flax Fibre Solutions
• Hypetex, London, April 20 2022, Booth R52, Hall 6

Hypetex, the market leaders in colouring carbon and natural fibre materials, will demonstrate both the processing and sustainability benefits of its patented colourisation technology when it exhibits for the first time at JEC World 2022.

Exhibiting as part of the Composites UK stand (Booth R52), Hypetex will display its portfolio of uniquely coloured carbon fibre materials including 3K woven styles, ultra-lightweight spread tow fabrics, UD, and 3D materials. Hypetex will also present details of its latest eco-friendly coloured flax materials  which combine sustainably grown natural flax with sustainable colouring technologies. Hypetex patented colouring technology, available in an extensive palette of standard and bespoke colours and shades, can be applied to traditional woven fabric constructions, non-woven UDs, spread tow and bespoke fabric designs. The technology replaces a traditional coloured painted finish, providing an exceptional depth of colour to any composite part, improving thermal conductivity and reducing heat absorption ,whilst reducing the overall weight and processing time with no compromise to the mechanical performance of the composite structure.

By removing the need for painting, and the associated preparation steps, Hypetex technology provides manufacturers with a repeatable straight out of the mould coloured finish, that is not only easy to integrate into all composite processes, but also takes additional materials, consumables, and process time out of the component cost. As part of its continued commitment to leading the drive for more sustainable composite solutions, and its focus on improvements based on the ESG framework. Hypetex will also display its new range of coloured flax fibre textiles. The advanced colouring technology used protects the natural flax fibres throughout the high temperature processes required for composite production, avoiding burning or any discolouration issues common to natural fibres. In addition, Hypetex colouring solution is an ecofriendly sustainable alternative to traditional dyeing processes which are a significant cause of global water pollution.

The Hypetex team will be on hand throughout the show to provide additional details on Hypetex materials and their integration into the manufacturing process. Visitors to the Hypetex stand will be able see Hypetex carbon and flax products in raw fabric, and how its unique colour palette translates into the most distinctive finished moulded components. Hypetex partners SHD Composites, Textreme, Sigmatex and Angeloni will also have materials and components on display at JEC World 2022, including sporting equipment such as racquets, sticks, and skateboards, which highlight the massive range of processing options and potential applications for this novel technology. One such application, the adidas Kromaskin field hockey stick, with a unique Hypetex coloured Textreme spread tow carbon finish, will also be part of the JEC Innovation Planets feature.